Columbus, Ohio – News of becoming The Associated Press preseason No. 1 team in college football swept the Ohio State campus Friday like a leaf lazily falling in September. Athletic director Gene Smith made sure the mood stayed calm when he addressed the team after USA Today’s coaches poll picked the Buckeyes No. 1 on Aug. 4.

“I told them there has never been a team in the history of the Ohio State University program that has gone into the season ranked No. 1 and come out No. 1,” Smith said. “How do you distinguish yourself or differentiate yourself from all the teams that have made great history here? You start out No. 1 and you end up No. 1.”

If the Buckeyes do, they’ll have run the table in one of the most wide-open races in years. Six teams in the AP poll earned first-place votes, starting with Ohio State, which earned 35 of 65 first-place votes for a total of 1,558 points.

Notre Dame, which returns eight offensive starters from the most prolific passing team in Irish history, was second at 1,470 with 10 first-place votes, followed by defending champion Texas, with 1,411 and eight.

“It’s an honor to be No. 1, but I don’t think too much about it,” Buckeyes flanker Anthony Gonzalez said. “I feel that preseason polls aren’t that important. We are the ones who have high expectations for ourselves. We demand a lot more than anyone. We put the pressure on ourselves, not the polls.”

Trust the Buckeyes on this. Preseason No. 1 teams have a history of falling off their lofty perch.

This is Ohio State’s fifth preseason No. 1 ranking (1969, 1975, 1980 and 1998). In 1998, the Buckeyes (11-1) finished second in the AP poll but fourth in the Bowl Championship Series’ inaugural season. They finished 15th in the AP poll in 1980 at 9-3, fourth in ’75 at 11-1 and fourth in ’69 at 8-1.

If Ohio State does win a national title only four years after its previous one, it will be because of a defense that erased some question marks.

The offense is experienced and star-studded, with Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Troy Smith and receiver-returner Ted Ginn Jr.

But the defense is nearly brand new. Senior tackles David Patterson and Quinn Pitcock are the only players who started Ohio State’s 34-20 Fiesta Bowl rout of Notre Dame. The Buckeyes must replace all three linebackers, taken in the NFL draft.

When Ohio State opens Sept. 2 at home against Northern Illinois, the Buckeyes are scheduled to have three sophomores in the secondary.

No pressure or anything, but they take the place of a defense that led the Big Ten in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and sacks.

“On defense, we have every confidence that they’re going to be doing the same,” coach Jim Tressel said. “I hope we don’t have some guys pressing, doing things we don’t need them to do.”

If the season began today, the replacements would be senior John Kerr, who started as a true freshman at Indiana four years ago but hasn’t started since transferring; sophomore James Laurinaitis, who helped beat Michigan and Notre Dame after Carpenter broke his ankle; and sophomore Marcus Freeman, who redshirted last year because of a knee infection.

The Buckeyes aren’t worried. Even when they were sitting, they were learning from the best.

“If you let us run around and make plays, we can do that,” Laurinaitis said. “We have three, four, five guys who can play right now.”

Ohio State earned its ranking with its offense. Many wonder if Texas would have won the national title if Smith had started in Texas’ 25-22 win in Week 2 after being suspended for accepting money from a booster.

In his 11 games, he became the first Buckeyes quarterback to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 500.

In the Fiesta Bowl, he outshined Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn and launched himself into this season’s Heisman race with 408 yards total offense and two touchdown passes.

While it may seem odd to hand a No. 1 ranking to a team in which you’ll need a press guide to recognize the defense, Ohio State’s challengers all have holes, too.

Notre Dame returns essentially the same defense the Buckeyes torched in Tempe, Ariz. Texas will have a freshman quarterback, and Auburn’s defense has undergone a shakeup with new coordinator Will Muschamp.

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